


Of Cats and Mazes

by Guardian_Rose



Category: The Foldings - Fandom
Genre: A cat - Freeform, Broccoli, Comfort, Fluff, Foldings, I mean. Not really hurt/comfort. But there's...comfort?, M/M, The Foldings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 21:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15228651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_Rose/pseuds/Guardian_Rose
Summary: Not all of it though, it’d still take a kiss to the side of his head and a gentle tug backwards before Micah would leave his notebook or tool to turn around and be met with Jasper’s smug smile.Maybe he wouldn’t tell Micah about his little...adventure after all. He’d only worry, despite the fact that he hadn’t been at any risk.





	Of Cats and Mazes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Marmosette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmosette/gifts).



> Thank you to two of my closest friends for beta-ing! 
> 
> Thank you to Faye Simms for answering my question about cats in The Foldings! I figured that cats are said to be good at taking people places? Or I'm making that up in my head but either way, I thought maybe they could be asked to show people around places, or just retrieve them if they get lost!

“Feckin’ hallways always popping up where you least expect them.” Jasper huffed under his breath, hesitating before turning left to another unfamiliar stretch of corridor. “Could’ve walked past a dozen portals to get right back to the kitchen by now, useless the lot of ‘em.”

 

The shadows seemed to be getting more and more prominent, the light sputtering from the wall sconces flickering in a breeze Jasper couldn’t feel. He’d stopped questioning such things early in his life. A simple fact of his life was that what others took for everyday normalities were non-existent for him and he’d just had to deal with it. That was until he’d stumbled upon Micah. Or well, Micah had saved his life, and completely changed it. Bit by bit. Jasper shivered, looking up at a blank stone wall. Dead end. 

 

There was probably a doorway there, maybe a really nice one that led to the bottom of the stairs leading up to Micah’s lab where his husband was  _ probably _ studiously investigating the effects of a certain magical moss or some other such business. Only Jasper couldn’t see it. Couldn’t  _ use _ it. He’d been wandering around for what felt like hours but at this point? Even he had to admit that he was lost. No two ways about it. What had started as an innocent excursion to try to familiarise himself with the further reaches of his own home had garnered the complete opposite results. Micah would laugh his socks off when he found out, after fretting over him first. Of course. 

 

Jasper spun on his heel and, back against the wall, slid to the floor; completely ignoring the way the stone scratched at his shirt, lifting the hem out of the back of his trousers and grazing the skin it revealed. He was going to drag Micah away for an early dinner, when he found him again. He’d start simple with his persuasion. Would wrap his arms around Micah from behind, innocently rest his chin on his shoulder. Nuzzle the soft hair behind his ear that threatened to curl if it got any longer. Micah would drop a hand to intertwine their fingers then, to let him know that he had the attention he so desired. Not all of it though, it’d still take a kiss to the side of his head and a gentle tug backwards before Micah would leave his notebook or tool to turn around and be met with Jasper’s smug smile. 

 

Maybe he wouldn’t tell Micah about his little...adventure after all. He’d only worry, despite the fact that he hadn’t been at any risk. Not like when he’d been knocked off the walkway by a falling kid that one time. That had been serious, and hadn’t they both known it. Or the Darklight Festival when they’d literally been freezing to death. Jasper shuddered at the memory, squeezing his eyes shut. No, he’d keep it to himself unless Micah had- 

 

“What the-” Jasper shrieked and flailed his hand into the air, his eyes snapped open to try to locate whatever had just brushed against his knuckles.

 

There was a soft purring noise very close but his eyes had yet to adjust to the mostly dark. He lowered his hand and held it out close to the ground, this time anticipating the purposeful push against his knuckles. Two yellow eyes blinked up at him, wide and completely disarming. A cat. A black one, silky soft fur. Jasper smiled and started to scratch under its chin.

 

“What’re you doing down here, hmm? Lost like me?” He whispered, smoothing his hand down its back. “Any chance you know the way back to Micah?” 

 

The cat’s ears flicked and, after one last nudge, it started trotting back down the corridor. Jasper watched it go until the shadows swallowed it up and claimed it for their own; he felt inexplicably colder without the company, a little less calm. He sighed and thought about when he should start walking again. The sooner the better really. Just another minute of rest. Two paws landed on his leg, startling him again. 

 

“You’ve got to stop doin’ that, darlin’.” 

 

The cat tipped its head, mewed at him then turned back the way it had come. Tail high in the air as if beckoning him. Jasper watched it get only part way down the corridor this time before looking around, finding him where it’d left him and bounding back. It impatiently hooked its claws into his trousers and pulled repeatedly, then set off. Jasper pushed himself to his feet and fell into step behind the cat.

 

“If I’m going to follow you then you at least deserve a name. How about...Socks?”

 

The cat hissed loudly, glaring up at him for a moment before turning a corner. “Alright, alright not socks. Minx?”

 

Another hiss. “Picky, ain’t ya? May just call you Broccoli, can be the best food and the best cat.” They walked down a flight of stairs, in silence. “Really? You’re happy with that name out of all of them? Typical.” 

 

It took another four flights of stairs, an unremarkable number of corridors and one quick stop when Broccoli came to halt when yawning when they finally were at the foot of the steps leading to Micah’s lab. But instead of being cooped up with his work, his husband was sat on the bottom step hunched with his elbows pressing into his knees. That one stubborn curl had fallen loose across his forehead.

 

Micah sat up straight as Broccoli nuzzled against his shin, “Rosie! You’re back, does that mean- oh, thank you, you brilliant little cat.” 

 

Jasper grinned and offered his hands to Micah, who took them with a  _ very  _ relieved smile, to pull him to his feet before twirling him round in a hug, careful to keep his feet higher than the step he’d been sitting on. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Micah. 

 

They spun until they were both laughing loudly, Jasper set Micah safely back down. Micah pulled him in by the back of the neck for a kiss, slightly too long to be entirely decent for their public setting but Jasper really couldn’t find it in himself to give a single shit about any potential passerbys. Not when Micah was starting to break the kiss with the upturn of his smile. Jasper pulled away from the kiss when Micah started to softly laugh again and ran his fingers through his hair, twisting the curl up with his finger. 

 

“Are you okay?” He asked softly, squeezing Micah’s hip with his other hand when his love swayed backwards a little, his arms locked behind Jasper’s neck.

 

“More than okay.” Micah said, meeting Jasper’s eye.

 

“You sent Broccoli to find me? That’s awfully sweet of you, darlin’.”

 

“I was worried, I hadn’t seen you since breakfast.”

 

“I didn’t mean t-”

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Micah interrupted. “You called her Broccoli? Jasper, I love you, I do. But is that really the best name you could come up with?”

 

Jasper burst out laughing, he dropped his head onto Micah’s shoulder. “She didn’t like any of the others!”

**Author's Note:**

> I may make this into a series? Little adventures with Rosie-Broccoli the cat? Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3
> 
> Go and support The Foldings through Etsy and sharing their beautiful world with other people!
> 
> I'm always happy to talk over on tumblr @guardian-rose-petal <3
> 
> Prompts welcome! <3


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